“Updated 2025.8” Removed several discontinued cards, added Citi Strata Card, Capital One Savor, and Bilt, and adjusted the tiers.
About no-annual-fee credit cards
Here are several excellent no-annual-fee credit cards worth considering. They’re easy to keep long term and help ensure you come out ahead overall. One thing to note: many no-annual-fee cards can be obtained by downgrading from an annual-fee card, so downgrading can be a good way to reduce your annual fee costs.
And of course, since these cards have no annual fee, you can choose to keep them all. How many do you currently have? Feel free to share in the comments.
Tier 1
These cards are not ranked in order. Each one has its own strengths, but overall, this tier is suitable for most people to hold at least one card from, and they are good long-term keepers that you can use regularly. If you collect the cards in this tier, you can cover most everyday spending categories.
Chase Freedom Flex
This is another very practical card with rotating quarterly 5x categories. It earns Ultimate Rewards points, and once travel fully rebounds, you can upgrade to—or reapply for—a premium Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card to get 1.5 cents per point or potentially even more in value. If you already have a Sapphire Preferred or Reserve credit card, you can also consider downgrading to this no-annual-fee card; your points will not be lost.
Chase Freedom Flex Credit Card
Quarterly 5x rewards, great for everyday spending; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (Spend $500 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x through the Chase Travel Portal; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; an additional 5x in rotating quarterly categories each quarter (such as groceries, dining, Amazon, gas, PayPal, etc.)
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed toward travel at 1:1.25; estimated value 1.6 cent/point
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Freedom Unlimited
Its points ecosystem and upgrade/downgrade options are similar to the card above. The difference is that this card earns 1.5x on all purchases, so you do not need to think about categories at all, which makes it more hassle-free. That said, 1.5x is still a bit on the weak side. If you really like Chase points, you can pair this card with Freedom Flex to complement each other.
Chase Freedom Unlimited Credit Card
Extra 1.5x on all purchases in the first year; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 25,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) (spend $500 in 3 months)
- Rewards: 5x on travel booked through Chase; 3x at restaurants and drugstores; 1.5x on all other purchases, with no limit
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 UR = $1; if you also hold a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline miles or hotel points, or redeemed toward travel at 1:1.25; value 1.6 cent/points
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Citi Custom Cash
This card automatically gives you 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category, with a $500 per billing cycle cap. The 10 categories are quite broad and include restaurants, gas, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming, drugstores, home improvement, fitness, and entertainment, covering many parts of everyday life.
Automatically earn 5% cash back in your top eligible spending category; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 ThankYou Points (spend $1,500 in the 6 months before account opening)
- Rewards: Earn 5% cash back on your highest eligible spending category each billing cycle, on up to the first $500 in purchases; after that, earn 1%. Categories include: restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, travel, transit, streaming services, drugstores, home improvement stores, fitness clubs, and live entertainment
- Redemption: Can be redeemed directly for cash back, or transferred to airline miles if you also have a premium card
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Citi Double Cash
This card earns 2% cash back on all purchases and can also transfer to airline miles. It is basically a killer option versus other cash-back cards earning under 2%, especially since it has no annual fee. If you have annual-fee cards like Citi AA, Premier, or Prestige, you can consider product changing to this one. However, be careful about ThankYou Points expiration after a product change, since the clock generally starts then; transferring points to airline miles is often a good idea. Citi AA cards do not have this issue—you just need to make sure there is some activity in your AA account.
2x on all purchases, no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $200 (spend $1,500 in 6 months)
- Rewards: 1x+1x (earn 1x points when you make a purchase, plus another 1x when you pay it off)
- Redemption: 100 points = $1 cash back; with a premium card, you may be able to transfer points to airline and hotel partners
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Citi Strata Card
This card earns 5x points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through Citi Travel; 3x on groceries, select transit, gas, and EV charging; and 3x in one chosen category among gyms, streaming, online entertainment, beauty/barber shops, and pet supply stores. It complements the two Citi cards above well. You could say it balances travel and everyday spending, and it is also a strong long-term keeper.
Citi Strata Rewards Credit Card
A great everyday spending card with no annual fee
- Welcome bonus: 30,000 Thank You Points (spend $1,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 5x on hotel, car rental, and attractions bookings through Citi Travel; 3x at supermarkets, select transit, gas stations, and EV charging; 3x in one selected category (fitness clubs, streaming, live entertainment, beauty salons/barbershops, or pet supply stores); 2x on dining; 1x on all other purchases
- Redemption: If you also have a premium card, points can be transferred 1:1 to airline and hotel partners; you can also redeem for cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Discover it
The quarterly 5% cash-back categories are consistently useful, and all cash back is doubled in the first year, effectively making the quarterly 5% categories into 10%. Just remember that you need to activate each quarter’s 5% categories. Most Discover cards already have no annual fee, so there usually is not much to downgrade from into this card. If you have another Discover card, though, you could consider downgrading to this one in year two, since 5% cash back is still quite solid.
5% rotating categories each quarter; no annual fee! Great as a first student card
- Welcome bonus: $100 cash back (one purchase within three months)
- Rewards: Earn 5% cash back in different categories each quarter, doubled to 10% in the first year
- Redemption: Redeem directly; gift cards may be available at a discount, up to 5% off
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
US Bank Smartly
The biggest feature of this card is that it already earns 2% cash back on all purchases. If you also have a US Bank Checking account, you can get up to an additional 2% cash-back boost, for a maximum total of 4%. The exact boost depends on your average monthly deposits in the bank account. This card can also be obtained via product change, so if you have an unused US Bank card, you could consider converting it.
A powerhouse card!
- Welcome bonus: N/A
- Rewards: 2% cash back on all purchases (up to 4% with qualifying deposits)
- Redemption: Redeem directly for cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Wells Fargo Autograph
Its 3% bonus categories are extremely broad and cover nearly every part of daily life. I think it is an emerging no-annual-fee powerhouse. And now the points can also transfer to airline miles and hotel points, which gives them more uses.
Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card
Lots of 3x categories; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 points (spend $1,000 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 3x points on dining, travel, gas, transit, cell phone plans, and streaming services; 1x on everything else
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back at 100 points = $1
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Wells Fargo Bilt
If you pay rent, this card is hard to ignore. It turns what would normally be a bank-account rent payment into credit card spending, while also letting you earn points. The Bilt card also has a large number of transfer partners, which makes the points highly valuable. On top of that, its general rewards structure is decent as well.
Earn points on rent payments, with a very large list of transfer partners!
- Welcome bonus: Updated
- Rewards: 5x at partner restaurants and Lyft; 3x at other restaurants; 2x on travel; 1x on rent payments (up to 100k points)
- Redemption: Transfer 1:1 to many airline miles and hotel loyalty programs; redeem at 1.25c/p for travel purchases through Bilt Travel
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
BofA Customized Cash Rewards
The key feature of this card is that you can choose your own 3% category, making it very flexible. In addition, if you have BofA checking and meet certain deposit requirements, you can get up to a 75% rewards boost, which brings the chosen-category cash back to 5.25%.
BofA Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card
Choose your own 3% cash back category, plus 2% cash back at supermarkets! No annual fee
- Welcome bonus: $200 cash back (spend $1,000 in three months) + extra 3% cash back on category spending in the first year
- Rewards: Online shopping, travel, drugstores, home improvement/furnishings, gas, or dining: choose one category for 3% cash back; supermarkets and Wholesale clubs: 2%; all other purchases: 1%
- Redemption: Redeem rewards directly for cash; if you have a premium BOA account, you may earn an additional bonus
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Tier 2
This tier mainly serves as a supplement to Tier 1, or includes cards that have stronger alternatives in Tier 1.
Capital One Savor
This is genuinely a strong everyday spending card, with 3% cash back on dining, groceries, streaming, and entertainment. It is still quite competitive among no-annual-fee cards. Its main weakness is that it does not really fit into a broader card ecosystem and is purely a cash-back card. Also, applying for a Capital One card may pull all three credit bureaus, which is not especially beginner-friendly.
A very well-rounded no-annual-fee credit card!
- Welcome bonus: $250 cash back (spend $500 in the first three months)
- Rewards: 3% on groceries, dining, entertainment, and streaming; 1% on everything else
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Robinhood Gold
This card earns 3% cash back on all purchases, and travel booked through the Robinhood Travel platform earns 5% cash back. However, you need to have (monthly fee $5) in order to apply, and for now you can only join the waitlist and wait for an invitation.
3% cash back on all purchases, with no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: None
- Rewards: 5% on bookings through its own travel portal; 3% cash back on all other purchases
- Redemption: Cash back can be redeemed directly
- Annual fee: $0（Requires Robinhood Gold）
- Apply now>>
Blue Cash Everyday
This is a similar cash-back option, and it recently added 3% cash back on online shopping, which is quite nice. If you want to keep Amex card perks but do not want to earn points, this is a reasonable choice. The downside is that it is purely cash back and does not build into a larger points ecosystem.
AMEX Blue Cash Everyday Credit Card
3% cash back at supermarkets; no annual fee! Now includes up to $260 in annual credits!
- Welcome bonus: Up to $200 cash back (spend $2,000 in the first 6 months)
- Rewards: 3% cash back at supermarkets, online shopping, and gas stations (on up to $6,000 in purchases per year in each category), 1% on all other purchases
- Redemption: Can be redeemed directly for cash back; discounted gift card redemptions are sometimes available
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Wells Fargo Active Cash
It earns 2% cash back on all purchases, making it a simple catch-all card. Wells Fargo cards also come with up to $600 in cell phone protection, so it may still be worth considering. That said, the two 2%+ cards in Tier 1 beat this card pretty much across the board.
Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card
2% cash back on all purchases; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $200 cash back when you spend $500 in the first 3 months
- Rewards: 2% cash back on all purchases
- Redemption: Redeem for cash back directly
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
BofA Travel Rewards
Even though it has “travel” in the name, redeeming points is much easier than dealing with airline miles—you can simply offset travel purchases directly. Also, if you have BofA checking and meet certain deposit requirements, you can get up to a 75% rewards boost, which means up to 2.75% back on all purchases. Still, US Bank Smartly looks more attractive now.
BofA Travel Rewards Credit Card
1.5x on all purchases; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 25,000 points (spend $1,000 in three months)
- Rewards: 1.5x on all purchases
- Redemption: 100 points can be redeemed for $1 in travel purchases; if you have a BOA premium account, you can earn additional rewards
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
US Bank Cash+
This is also a quarterly 5x card, and you can choose your own categories. That said, the available categories are fairly average.
Choose your own 5% and 2% cash back categories, with no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $250 cash back (spend $1,000 within 90 days)
- Rewards: Choose two categories for 5% cash back: TV, internet, streaming services, utilities, ground transportation, electronics stores, fast food, furniture stores, gyms, movie theaters, select clothing stores, sporting goods stores, cell phone providers, and department stores; choose one category for 2% cash back: gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores
- Redemption: Cash back redeemed directly
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Tier 3
This tier includes cards that generally have substitutes mentioned above, so they are mainly worth considering if you especially prefer a certain bank. Some cards from smaller issuers with less stable benefits also go here.
Synchrony Premier
Synchrony Premier is a no-annual-fee credit card that earns 2% cash back on all purchases. However, smaller issuers can be a bit less stable, and customer service quality may vary.
2% cash back on all purchases, no annual fee
- Welcome bonus: Not available
- Rewards: 2% cash back on all purchases
- Redemption: Automatic cash redemption
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Capital One Quick Silver
It earns 1.5% on all purchases and is completely outclassed by Double Cash. On the plus side, it may be a bit easier to get approved for. As with other Capital One cards, though, it may pull all three credit bureaus, which is not very beginner-friendly.
Capital One Quicksilver Credit Card
1.5% cash back on all purchases; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: $200 cash back (spend $500 in the first 3 months)
- Rewards: 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
Discover it Miles
If you do not want to deal with rotating quarterly categories, you can go with the simpler Miles card, which earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases. It also has first-year cash back match, so it can be a great one-year card.
No annual fee! Low spending requirement
- Welcome bonus: $100 cash back (one purchase)
- Rewards: 3% cash back on all purchases in the first year; 1.5% on all purchases thereafter
- Redemption: Redeem directly; cash back can be used to buy a variety of gift cards at a discount, up to 5% off
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
US Bank Altitude Go
The 4x on dining is quite good, and it has a credit benefit that can be worth using. It is said to be available as a downgrade path from Altitude Reserve, so if you no longer need that card, downgrading could make sense.
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Credit Card
4% on dining; $15 annual streaming credit; no annual fee!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 points (spend $1,000 in 90 days)
- Rewards: Dining/takeout/delivery 4x; supermarkets, gas, and streaming services 2x
- Redemption: Cash back
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>
US Bank Altitude Connect
This card went from having an annual fee to no annual fee. Its 4x categories are still pretty good, so it can be worth keeping just for the 4x earnings.
US Bank Altitude Connect Credit Card
4 Priority Pass visits per year!
- Welcome bonus: 20,000 points (spend $1,000 in 90 days)
- Rewards: 4% on gas and EV charging; 2% on groceries, delivery, dining, and streaming; 1% on all other purchases
- Redemption: Direct cash back redemption
- Annual fee: $0
- Apply now>>